Whatever Shall I do?

As inspired by another blogger I read on a pretty regular basis, Metropolitan Mama, who asked
What are your hopes and dreams for 2012? Let me hear ‘em. Outrageous or Ordinary. GO.

I liked her list because as she noted, all are attainable, do-able, achievable.....maybe not all this year, probably not in this order but I want to do all these things....and some are exactly what you'd expect from me, and some may surprise you as they surprised me.....but here is what I want to do....

I want to: 

1. Get back to Church on a more regular basis
2. Finish and maintain the list of books I want for Lucy - the characters and authors I want her to "meet"
3. Start acquiring said books
4. Learn the names of the new Red Sox Roster
5. Forgive myself for whatever transgressions I can't seem to let go of
6. Take a family vacation - not travel to visit family, not to attend some one's wedding or a family function....I want to take a real vacation - where we spend our days in our swim suits....skip baths and showers, wear the same clothes two days in a row ice cream stains and all. I want to spend our days lounging, reading books, napping, dipping our toes in the water...I want to sit outside as the night falls with our cheeks warmed by a fire and S'mores in our bellies. I want to catch fireflies, collect rocks and vow at the end of the week to return to the same spot next year or the year after for a family vacation
7. Finally own the perfect black dress
8. Lose the weight I lost before but seem to have found again
9. Have professional photos done of Lucy and of us as a family
10. Start volunteering somewhere - its been many years since I did that, and I miss the sense of fulfillment it brought to my life and the lives of the people I did it for and with
11. That volunteer work to be something Lucy and Sean can do with me
12. Keep having a date night with my husband once a month - even if it is just watching a movie after Lucy has gone to bed without folding laundry, dusting, filing or working simultanously
13. To reconnect with family and friends
14. Own a house that has a front porch, a library with built in bookcases and a kitchen that is big enough for people to sit in while we cook and bake
15. Organize the shelf ion the basement and Lucy's craft center
16. Finish framing and hanging up Lucy's art work
17. Teach Lucy to ride a bike...and then get new bikes for Sean and I so the three of us can bike ride together...we used to love bike riding
18. Hang the pictures of family and friend on the walls of the staircase as I keep envisioning in my head
19. Shannon, over here, has inspired me to consume less this year....I see her challenge...my favorite is her emphasis on experiences versus material goods....personally, I think she is already pretty good at this....you should see some of the places/events she takes her son! Anyway, I'm so with her on this one...I'll work up to the cloth napkins but I am certainly going to be more aware of my consumption levels (let's hope that also spills over to my pizza and ice cream consumptions)
20. Visit Prince Edward Island
21. Get published
22. Take Lucy on a Whale Watch - oh how she loves whales...and seals and dolphins and penguins
23. Listen more speak less
24. Be a teacher...is it time for a career change? Or do I want to be a librarian...but in a school...do they still have librarians in school like they did when I was a kid? Maybe I should work in the children's section at a public library....I think what I REALLY want to do is be somewhere doing something to inspire kids to read...to instill in children not just a love of reading but a love for the characters they are reading about, the places they are visiting as they turn the pages of the book...teacher, children's librarian....bookstore....? I want to figure that out...maybe it ties in with volunteer work....
25. Relax....not like oh, I worked hard today, let me relax...just relax, take a deep breath, look around, appreciate what I see, hear and smell....just relax
26. Treat others as I want to be treated....tried but true
27. Stop swearing! I have a terrible potty mouth and it seems to be getting progressively worse
28. Try running -seriously. I know more people who have taken up running and love it. Now the last time I ran for fun was probably when Annette, Brandon and I would run from the car to the bar every Friday after work but I'm thinking maybe I can pull it off...anyway, I know a couple of people have had great luck with the Beginner's Guide 30-30, I think I'll give it a go
29. Get Sean the desk he wants for his work space at home
30. Go to the Lake District in Northern England and see where Beatrix Potter lived
31. Go back to Savannah, GA, Charleston, SC, and see the Outer Banks
32. Go to Cape Cod
33. Go hang gliding...inspired by none other than watching episodes of Go Diego Go...odd I'd like to do this given my fear of heights and flying
34. Go on a cruise
35. See the sunrise and the sunset on the same day at the top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park
36. Hike to the top of Cadillac
37. Stay on Moosehead Lake for a week
38. Learn how to take a good photo...from behind the camera
39. Make Sean his favorite dinner for his birthday or our anniversary....even if it is liver and onions
40. Turn 40 with dignity and pride 

And that, I think, is a good stopping place.....though I reserve the right to tweek, maintian and edit

Maria the Mum